psych ch 9 Emotion & Stress

emotion

a state of arousal involving facial and bodily changes, brain activation, cognitive appraisals, subjective feelings. and tendencies toward action

“feelings” - positive and negative

uses - reacting to events, bonding with others, achieving own goals, decision making and planning

components - physiological changes, action tendencies, cognitive appraisal

physiological changes from emotion

facial expression, micro expressions, facial feedback for others

autonomic nervous system - the sympathetic NS for fight or flight and the parasympathetic NS for rest and digest

facial feedback

the process by which facial muscles send messages to the brain about the basic emotion being expressed

appraisal and interpretation

Visual cliff experiment with infants

• 74% infants would cross if the mom was smiling and 0% crossed when she expressed fear

mirror neurons

brain cells that fire when a person or animal observes another carrying out an action

autistic people hypothesized to be associated with differences in the activation of mirror neurons and in face processing

Duchenne Smile

“real smile” - smile with whole face

appraisals

the perceptions, beliefs, attributions, and expectations that determine which emotion a person will feel in a given circumstance

universality of emotion

first hypothesized by Darwin

basic/primary emotions via facial expression

joy, sadness, surprise, disgust, anger, fear, contempt

seen in infants and blind ppl

face processing

holistic processing

facial inversion effect (Adel)

subordinate level processing

display rules

social and cultural rules that regulate when, how, and where a person may express or suppress emotions

emotion work

expression of an emotion, often because of a role requirement, that a person does not really feel

culture

determines what people feel emotions about

facial expressions and emotional displays have different meanings depending on the context and are better idented within one’s cultures

body language

the nonverbal signals of body movement, posture, and gaze that people constantly express

stress

negative emotional response to something in the environment that is threatening or challenging

accompanied by: biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes

elements of stress

A stressful event (stressor) —> perception of the stressor —> appraisal of the stressor as a challenge or threat -→ a response to the stressor

examples of stressors

physical/environmental

work/school

relationship

life events

social/societal

internal processes

evolution of stress theory

Cannon "fight or flight” - perceived threat activates nervous system

Selye “general adaptive syndrome” (chronic stress response)

Taylor “tend and befriend” (affiliations under threat)

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

according to Hans Selye, a series of physiological reactions to stressors occurring in three phases: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

alarm phase

body mobilizes the sympathetic nervous system to meet an immediate threat

releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, boosting energy, tensing muscles, reducing sensitivity to pain, shutting down digestion, and increasing heart rate and blood pressure

resistance phase

body attempts to resist or cope with a stressor that cannot be avoided

physiological responses of the alarm phase continue

exhaustion phase

persistent stress depletes the body of energy, thereby increasing the vulnerability to physical problems and illness

the hypothalamus activates 2 pathways in the stress response:

sympathetic nervous system arousal

hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal gland cortex axis (HPA)

sympathetic nervous system arousal

release of epinephrine and norepinephrine

increases blood pressure, heart rate, and swelling

constricts peripheral blood vessels

HPA

release of cortisol and other hormones, opioids are elevated too

increases sugar glucose

decreases insulin secretion, pain perception, and immune function

HPA axis

a system activated to energize the body to respond to stressors, in which the hypothalamus sends chemical messengers to the pituitary gland, which in turn prompts the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and other hormones

cortisol

a hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that elevates blood sugar and protects the body’s tissues in case of injury but, when chronically elevated due to stress, can lead to hypertension, immune disorders, and possibly depression

increase sugar glucose

decreases insulin secretion

decreases pain perception

decreases immune function

psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

the study of the relationships among psychological processes, the nervous system and endocrine systems, and the immune system

optimism

the general expectation that things will go well in spite of occasional setbacks

locus of control

a general expectation about whether the results of your actions are under your own control (internal locus) or beyond your control (external locus)

negative emotions

hostility and the type A personality —> anger expression in US males is associated with a 5x greater incidence of heart disease

• depression is also related to increased heart disease, perhaps through the stress response

emotional inhibition

a personality trait involving a tendency to deny feelings of anger, anxiety, or fear

• ppl who inhibit their emotions are more likely to fall ill than people who can acknowledge feelings

positive emotions

longitudinal study of 180 catholic nuns found that longevity was related to frequency of positive emotions in describing their life stories

• empathy and forgiveness also show positive benefits

coping styles

avoidant - withdrawal, procrastination, ignoring problems, denial, substance abuse

emotion focused - concentrate on the emotions, emotional discloser, crying, writing

problem focused (behavioral) - problem solving, time management, obtaining social support, physiological stress reduction, self care, spirituality

problem focused (cognitive) - coping statements, cognitive reappraisal, making social comparisons, learning from experience

ways to enhance coping

physiological - progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, autogenic phrases and relaxation, medication, exercise

behavioral - time management and techniques, behavior modification to enhance positive behaviors

cognitive - thought monitoring, identify and correct cognitive distortion, write about experience